Fans Are Furious: Is the New Venom the Worst Spider-Man Character Ever?

The character Venom originated from intense hatred. Discredited Daily Globe journalist Eddie Brock harbored a deep animosity towards Spider-Man for ruining his professional life, while the parasitic alien Symbiote despised Peter Parker for refusing to be its host. Fused together, their mutual loathing for the same individual transformed them into Venom, the monstrous embodiment of seething anger and resentment. There is no one who detests Spider-Man as much as Venom does.

In a more concise way: The character Venom was born out of deep-seated hatred between Eddie Brock (a disgraced Daily Globe journalist) and Spider-Man, with the parasitic Symbiote sharing this animosity towards Peter Parker. Once bonded, their combined hatred transformed them into the Spider-Man archvillain Venom, a symbol of seething anger and resentment. There is no greater hater of Spider-Man than Venom.

Amongst Spider-Man enthusiasts, there’s likely no character they’d dislike more than the All-New Venom, especially if the hidden identity of the Lethal Protector happens to be who fans are guessing – Paul Rabin.

In October, Marvel revealed that a secret figure would be taking on the role of Venom, following Al Ewing’s work on “All-New Venom” and Eddie Brock’s transformation into Carnage in Charles Soule’s “Eddie Brock: Carnage”. This new development comes after the Venom Symbiote split from both Eddie and his son, Dylan Brock, during the events of “Venom War”, and then bonded with an unidentified host.

Dylan has zeroed in on four suspects: “The Journalist” (Robbie Robertson), “The Terrorist” (Madame Masque), “The Sidekick” (Rick Jones), and “The Mayor” (Luke Cage). So far, the only suspect not definitively ruled out as of issue #4 is Robertson, but there are two more suspects that Dylan didn’t consider: his foster parents, Paul and Mary Jane Watson, who appear to clash on the cover for All-New Venom #6 (if Paul is Venom).

Interestingly (or perhaps not), Paul has been present in every one of the four issues so far. He’s formed an unusual connection (no play on words here) with Dylan, who shared a significant moment (not physically) with his Symbiote father in All-New Venom #3. It’s a complex backstory, I must admit.

In the first four issues, Dylan has often made fun of Paul, his vegan couscous, and his man bun, despite being welcomed by him and MJ. An intriguing twist is that it might be unexpected for Dylan’s surrogate father figure to share a connection with Paul’s Symbiote father. This unexplored bond could shed light on why Paul has not been included in the list of official suspects.

Why is there so much hostility towards Paul? The final issue of the 2022 volume of “Amazing Spider-Man” #93 (written by Zeb Wells) concluded the run penned by Nick Spencer, where Peter Parker rekindled his romance with his longtime girlfriend, Mary Jane Watson, and eventually moved in with her. However, when Wells restarted the series with “Amazing Spider-Man” #1 in 2022, a time jump of several months showed that MJ had moved on instead of moving in as previously suggested.

Over the next 25 comics, I discovered that Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson had been transferred to another world by a mad mathematician named Benjamin Rabin, also known as Emissary. He’s a minor villain who emerged during Dan Slott’s run on Amazing Spider-Man in 2008, during the Brand New Day period when Spider-Man’s marriage was dissolved editorially. (For us devoted Parker-Watson fans, this development was a bit more palatable in the Ultimate Spider-Man series.)

As Mary Jane found herself trapped in a dystopian world alongside Rabin’s son, Paul, their relationship evolved into something complex over the span of four years. During this period, they raised two adopted children, Owen and Romy, and Mary Jane not only fulfilled the role of a mother but also took on the identity of Jackpot, the superhero.

In the spin-off series Venom War: Spider-Man, Jackpot teamed up with Spider-Man to battle the monstrous Arachniote. Later, he took in a homeless man named Dylan, who seemed to be linked to four suspects that appeared to be false leads. As the story reaches its climax, speculation on social media is mounting about whether Paul could turn out to be the new Venom.

In a post on the informal Spider-Man subreddit, a user pleaded, “Oh, please, let someone else take over.” Another individual, not a fan of Paul’s work, stated, “If they choose Paul, I’ll stop following Marvel.

Another user expressed strong disapproval by saying, ‘I’ve admired Peter and MJ for a long time, but this person so effortlessly ruins something established for years that it really angers most fans.’ He added, ‘Paul should decay as he deserves. Frankly, nobody will miss him.’

Paul isn’t a bad guy — he’s just no Peter Parker. But is he a Venom?

Marvel has unveiled Clayton Crain’s speculative cover versions, including the sneak peek All-New Venom spoiler variant (shown below), prior to the identity of the new Venom’s secret host being disclosed in All-New Venom #5, which hits stands on April 2.

All-New Venom #5

In plain English: Who is the New Venom Unmasked? After removing all distractions and false leads, who remains as the culprit? The answers have been there all along, and by the conclusion of this issue, you will learn the identity of the ALL-NEW VENOM. However, with M.O.D.O.K. in search of symbiote power, you may be pointing at a dead body instead!

On sale: April 2

All-New Venom #6

Discovering the Origin Story of the Freshly Minted Venom: We now understand who the All-New Venom is, but the intrigue lies in how. After the tumultuous events of the Venom War, a series of unusual occurrences took place. The symbiote selected this host for reasons yet to be revealed, and it seems they have become inseparable. Jackpot faces off against Venom, and she might not appreciate the revelations that follow!

On sale: May 7